Robert Warrior & Kim Tallbear on Ethnic Fraud - WORT 89.9 FM

29.12.16

Robert Warrior & Kim Tallbear on Ethnic Fraud - WORT 89.9 FM: Andrea Smith claimed for years she was member of the Cherokee Nation without having any true lineage. While it has been known for years, it has not gained any attention from national news outlets. Rachel Dolezal, former president of the NAACP in Spokane, Washington, received much media attention following the allegations she lied about her racial identity, identifying herself as black.

Indian Country published an open letter written by indigenous women scholars calling for an open discussion on the issue, saying ” We hope to elicit productive dialogues about deeply fraught and painful issues, and to suggest paths forward for continued and complex analysis of the roles identity plays in the work we do.” While Smith has alleged claimed to no longer identify at Cherokee, she still describes herself as a indigenous scholar, which the authors of the letter argue allows her to represent communities of which she does not belong.